Prehistoric monster snake crushed prey under 1.5 Brooklyn Bridges

BBC gets the measure of South American monster

The BBC's improbable measurement unit is on top form this week, in this report on a monster snake which terrorised the prehistoric South American jungle.

The Titanoboa - a distant relative of the feared anaconda - weighed in at over a tonne and measured 14m (46ft) from snout to tail.

In common with its venomless modern cousin, Titanoboa crushed its prey before swallowing the squashed victim, and could doubtless have ingested Jennifer Lopez in one mighty gulp.

To give you an idea of just how strong this brute was, the Beeb explains that it exerted a "constricting force of 400lbs per sq inch - the equivalent of lying under the weight of one-and-a-half times the Brooklyn Bridge".

Splendid. One question remains, however. Just how much force is that in terms of "the total weight of the wheel and capsules of the London Eye"? ®